Haiti

In the town health centre of Petit Trou, most people are staying outside out of fear of further collapse of buildings including at hospital structures. Most medical consultations are taking place outside. We have donated supplies to the health centre and organised a water truck to deliver water to the community. 

The town of Baradères is almost entirely cut off from major routes, making it difficult to get aid and supplies in. Many families have been sleeping outside near their demolished homes. There were also a few families attempting to build wooden structures. MSF has donated medical supplies and set up tents for temporary healthcare, and have set up a water tank at the Baradères health centre to ensure continued water supply to the centre and the community.

The hospital in L’Asile (Hopital Communautaire L’Asile) as well a hospital in Bonne Fin have both been damaged in the earthquake, with patients being treated outside the unstable buildings. We have donated medical supplies and tents to set up temporary healthcare, and installed a pump and a water tank to provide clean water. We have donated supplies to Sainte-Thérèse hospital in Miragoâne, and an MSF surgeon and nurse are providing medical support. 

In addition to meeting immediate needs, our teams are focusing on community engagement as well as health promotion to understand the needs of the community, build awareness and acceptance of MSF’s work, and to share health messages related to infectious diseases and water and sanitation.

While the earthquake did not cause major damage to infrastructure or buildings in the city, thousands of injured patients from affected areas have come to the city for care.

MSF is treating injured people in our trauma hospital in Tabarre, and has broadened the criteria for admission and expanded bed capacity to care for as many of those injured as possible. When the earthquake struck, most of the beds at the Tabarre hospital were already occupied with its existing burns and trauma patients. The hospital then received a total of 70 earthquake survivors in a matter of days, 48 of whom were admitted for surgery or other treatment. The needs exceeded the hospital's normal capacity of 70 beds, and so the staff add 19 beds in covered areas of the courtyard and elsewhere inside the building to accommodate the additional patients.

We are also providing emergency care in the new Sacré-Coeur Hospital, and are referring patients to other hospitals for additional treatment. In the aftermath of the quake MSF teams launched a blood collection campaign in collaboration with local authorities to address potential blood shortages.